Old Ideas That Should Be Explored in New Silicon Valley Church Communities

I am interested in new ways of bringing the church together. I am also interested in new people finding the church.

Silicon Valley is all about disruption … even in the church. Still … There are some ancient concepts I think that might be worth looking for new communities.

Putting Old Wine Into New Wine Skins

They are:

1. Paul’s tentmaking ministry in Corinth and Thessalonica.Example – When I lived and worked in Japan and Far East Russia, each time we opened a branch to our school the first thing we considered was could the new location support a gathering of Christians AND be used to draw in new disciples.

We:

were ‘tent-making’ missionaries = supported ourselves

offered a service that attracted people to us so we could serve them = no bait and switch

provided opportunities to dive into understanding Jesus more if our life styles and efforts were of enough quality to earn that opportunity.

2. Understand how Jesus was able to transition from traveling city to city, village to village and synagogue to synagogue to ‘great crowds came to him’ and ‘he no longer could enter the city’. How do we change from getting in our cars to go meet people to them getting in their cars to come meet us.

3. Understand Jesus as influencer. Instead of asking ourselves ‘+who can I ask to tell their people?’ to becoming the people that others ask, ‘will you tell your people abt …?’ Lifting up Jesus so that he can draw men to him.

4. Lifestyle evangelism. In some cultures it is illegal to proselytize. Missionaries aim to be effective by getting hired, doing good work and living a lifestyle that is ‘evangelistic in nature.

These are just 4 ways that Christians in Silicon Valley can put old wine (ideas) into new wine skins (Silicon Valley) in hopes of being disruptive = bursting the bags of tradition without compromising the Biblical church. What ideas do you have?

“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you […]